CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024 features one of the greatest driver-crew chief duos in NASCAR history and a founding member of the "Alabama Gang."
Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, and Donnie Allison were announced as the inductees on Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. The three make up the 14th class in the Hall of Fame's history.
Johnson and Knaus spent 17 seasons together and captured 81 NASCAR Cup Series wins, seven championships, tying a NASCAR record, and dominated the sport for much of their tenure.
Allison was selected as an inductee on the pioneer ballot. He won 10 NASCAR Cup Series races and was a founding member of the "Alabama Gang" along with his brother Bobby Allison (Class of 2011) and Red Farmer (Class of 2021).
Janet Guthrie received the NASCAR Hall of Fame Landmark Award for her pioneering accomplishments as a racer from 1976 to 1980. She earned five top fives in her Cup career with a highest finish of sixth at Bristol in 1977.
The enshrinement ceremony will be held on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024 in Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson needs almost no introduction for anyone familiar with NASCAR. The California native tied a NASCAR record by winning seven Cup championships, including a record-setting five in a row from 2006 to 2010.
Johnson's professional racing career started in off-road truck races on the west coast. He made the jump to stock car racing in the late 1990s racing in the American Speed Association for Herzog Motorsports.
With Herzog, Johnson would move full-time to the then-NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity) in 2000. Johnson would win just one Busch Series race (Chicagoland, 2001), but he would impress Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports enough for them to give him a shot to move up.
Johnson made his first start in the Cup Series driving his iconic No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet at Charlotte in October 2001, finishing 39th. His full-time rookie campaign in 2002 would position him as one of the best drivers in the sport.
Johnson tied a modern-era rookie record by winning three races (California, Dover, Dover), and finished fifth in the points standings.
The next 15 seasons would see Johnson win at least two races. He earned multiple victories in every NASCAR crown jewel race - the Daytona 500 (2006, 2013), Coca-Cola 600 (2003-05, 2014, 2016), Brickyard 400 (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), and Southern 500 (2004, 2012).
Johnson permanently stamped his name in the NASCAR record books by tying Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty with seven championships. His stranglehold on the title from 2006 to 2010 is a mark that might never be replicated again in NASCAR.
Johnson remains the all-time race winner at five tracks: Auto Club (6), Charlotte (8), Dover (11), Las Vegas (4), and Texas (7).
He retired from full-time NASCAR racing after the 2020 season but returned for select races in 2023 driving for the team he now owns, Legacy Motor Club.
Chad Knaus
Ensuring that Johnson had a championship-winning strategy was Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief for 17 seasons. Knaus was aboard for all seven of Johnson's championships and 81 of his 83 race victories.
Knaus joined Hendrick Motorsports in the 1990s, working on Jeff Gordon's crew under crew chief Ray Evernham, where he learned what it takes to be a championship crew chief.
Knaus worked as a car chief for various teams before getting his first shot as a crew chief with Stacy Compton for the 2001 season. After a lackluster campaign, Knaus was brought on once again by Hendrick Motorsports to be Johnson's crew chief.
The pair quickly became one of the most successful duos in NASCAR history and Knaus became a revered name in the garage.
Knaus left Johnson's team after the 2018 season and became the crew chief for William Byron. With Byron, Knaus worked for two years, winning one race and scoring 26 top 10s.
Donnie Allison
The third member of the Allison family elected was chosen as the pioneer inductee. Donnie Allison won 10 races during his lengthy time in the Cup Series. Allison's most notable win came in the 1970 World 600 in Charlotte after a dominant performance and fierce battle with David Pearson.
Arguably the most memorable moment from Allison's career came in the 1979 Daytona 500 when he got into a fistfight with Cale Yarborough after the two wrecked on the race's final lap while going for the win. The wild end to the race is largely credited with sparking NASCAR's popularity in the 1980s and beyond.
Allison won the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award in 1967 and even went on to score two top 10s in two starts in the Indianapolis 500. He was a founding member of the "Alabama Gang," a group of racers native to the Yellowhammer State, along with Bobby Allison and Red Farmer.
Allison joins his brother Bobby Allison and Davey Allison (Class of 2019) in the Hall of Fame, tying the Allisons with the Pettys for most enshrined members.
Locked On is the leading podcast network for local sports and is owned by WCNC Charlotte's parent company TEGNA.
Listen to Locked On here.
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.